Dependency
by StreakingHerculobus
Summary: Hei is hit with the anti-contractor weapon, falling prey to unintended effects. As a result, his fate is changed forever. Will he ever return to the way he was? Hei x Hazuki. Rated T for violence. No swearing. REVISING


**I do not own Darker than Black or the characters.**

Mina Hazuki watched as the anti-contractor weapon hummed to life. The drones encircled the unsuspecting BK-201 and proceeded to energize the air. The electrified atmosphere elicited a scream from the black reaper, his body wrecked with pain. The agony abated as the machines malfunctioned and clattered to the ground, the wiring fried. The red-haired boy (or is it a girl?) stood just outside of the affected radius at a loss of what to do. Genma took the opportunity to reveal himself in his typical offhand manner. "If you are going to run, you might as well start now."

She hesitated, torn between escaping and rushing to help the Reaper. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she decided to flee which led to Genma giving clumsy chase.

Confident in Genma's ability to catch the subject Mina stepped out of the shadows and approached BK-201 at a leisurely pace. Though his eyes were open, she could tell he was sufficiently stunned. Scooping up his mask she studied the plain features which in conjunction with his coat emanated spectral doom, a true horseman of death. The visage communicated the heart of a contractor: the quality of having no mercy and consumed with his own survival.

Bending her knees she searched his body for knives, confiscating a grand total of ten. How many were necessary? Deftly spinning one in her hand, she approved of the feel; the weight was distributed perfectly, overall a quality knife. She speculated at the price; upwards to two hundred dollars she imagined, which begged the question who supplied him? Lifting a flap of his coat she marveled at how light it was despite the durable material. Towards the end of her inspection she found herself somewhat jealous of the man's resources. His management obviously had deep pockets and a vested interest in military technologies. For a moment she pondered who should be so fortunate (or had enough pull) to procure the services of such a famous operative. Retrieving her wire she hoped they wouldn't mind his sudden disappearance.

Glancing at his face she noticed the shock had worn off and in its place, a particularly listless expression even for a contractor. Except for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, you could not tell he was breathing. It looked pretty pathetic, she lamented. Vulnerability did not suit him.

Around that time Yoko ran up, clipboard in hand. "Oh my gosh, the computers messed up! I don't know what could've gone wrong. Is he alright?" Out of breath she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"He is alive, if that's what you're asking. We'll have to wait and see if the device worked at the lab." Mina secured his hands behind his back and stood next to Yoko. "Where's Genma? Shouldn't he have the kid by now?"

"No," the man answered, having made it back out of breath. He bent over trying to catch some air. "Apparently she is quite the long distance runner. Once I followed her into the warehouses, there was no way to keep her in sight."

"It's unfortunate," Mina began cryptically. Meanwhile Yoko, mustering up the courage, checked over the body at their feet and scribbled a couple of notes.

Genma frowned. "What? Oh, about the warehouse? I know. Terrible luck."

Mina cursed the day she was partnered with the oaf. "No, it's unfortunate that you are so out of shape." She placed her back to him and marched Yoko to the van. Along the way she called over her shoulder, "Carry him!"

Grumbling Genma stooped down and hoisted BK-201 up. "Geez, how much does he weigh?"

**X**

Madame Oreille sipped coffee quietly from a brown mug in a shop filled with ordinary people. They entered and left with a chime from the cluttered door, which did not do the rest of the shop justice. The servers were friendly and worked hard to keep the place clean, you could tell.

Oreille liked to think everything was always under control, but she knew that people weren't perfect, and could not always live up to your expectations, however low they may be. The current issue, the copied Earth, wasn't very pressing for the powers that be. And she ran a business. And just like any business the operator must market goods which people will actually buy into. At any time the demand may drop too low, and in order to succeed, she must move on to another product. Contractors were hot, but this fiasco with Izanami was growing less and less popular. If she had it her way, she wouldn't dream of not further investigating Shion's ability, but her associates cared less for matters concerning the gates.

Speaking of whom, she grimaced at the sight of a tall dark-haired man who just entered. He was sharply dressed and his conduct was so practiced many patrons turned to stare. Pretending like no one else existed, he walked over and sat across from Madame Oreille.

"Good morning, Miss—what do you call yourself now? Oreille? Very cute, I must say. I'm sure you've had the blast of your life sorting through this recent disaster."

Oreille forced a smile. "Indeed. It's good to see you, Rogers. When was the last time we met? Over two years now? I trust you've brought some news or is this purely a social visit?"

"So you already suspect? I'm impressed. Yet again, you knew this day was coming. The significance of the Mikata Documents has deteriorated in the last ten years. We're losing money."

"I know that, but what use is money in a world filled with chaos? Don't say the fate of civilization takes precedence over profit?"

"First of all, the Mikata documents may not even be true. You sound like a conspiracy theorist now. Second, governments and private corporations don't _care_. Need I remind you, we're not an organization dedicated to the cause of goodness? You know what our goal is. That prophecy is just baggage at the moment."

"But—"

"Please, I'm only here to deliver the members' decision. They sent me so that you would understand how serious we are. There are bigger fist to fry. For example, the Russians and the CIA have begun a spy war, no holds barred. You should read the reports. Agents from both sides are dropping like flies." He chuckled.

Oreille huffed. "So be it. But don't come crying to me when everything falls apart."

"I'm looking forward to the 'I told you so.' Now you can stay in Tokyo if you like, no one has anything against it. The truth is we don't want anyone to dominate the city, not America, not Japan. It needs to stay open. Less regulation and all that jazz. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course. Is there anything else?"

"Nope, we know you and your furry boyfriend will come through. Oh, and make sure to put that boy of yours to work. He was marvelous in South America."

Oreille nodded. _If they think they can boss me around so easily. _


End file.
